Following an order placed in March 2013, Siwertell, part of Cargotec, has delivered, installed and commissioned two Siwertell ship unloaders at ABP's port of Immingham, UK.

Manufactured and assembled in Italy, the type ST790-D screw type unloaders are equipped with slewable gantry tail conveyors. They will be used to discharge wood pellets and coal to supply the Drax power station. Both types of fuel will be unloaded at a rate of 1,200th.

The customer, ABP, chose the Siwertell unloaders after observing a similar Siwertell unit in operation at Mersey Docks in Liverpool, as well as reviewing a number of machines on the market and paying visits to various facilities across Europe.

"Our customer was impressed by the conveyor's continuous high capacity, dust-free function and simple operation, even in wind speeds of up to 25m/s," says Lars-Eric Lundgren, Siwertell's Regional Sales Manager for Europe. "One of ABP's main stipulations was that the level of cargo degradation should not exceed accepted limits. We were able to offer firm assurances on this matter, supported by numerous successful tests carried out by independent surveyors, along with testimonials from satisfied customers."

This is the first Siwertell unloader delivery to the UK for combined coal/biomass handling. It may well be the first of many similar orders as the government seeks to reduce the level of coal used in UK power plants. "Pressure is building on UK companies to source more of their energy from renewable, low-carbon sources, and we anticipate a much greater demand for biomass used in combination with coal," said Mr Lundgren.

"Biomass in bulk handling has the potential for fire and explosion, so companies will be seeking to minimise those risks when selecting machinery to handle this mix of fuels. To ensure safe multi-fuel handling, Siwertell unloaders incorporate safety systems that were originally developed for sulphur handling. Furthermore, the economic benefits of investing in an unloader that can handle both coal and biomass without adjustment should not be underestimated."

In 2012, Drax announced plans to convert three of its six generating units to burn biomass. The first unit was converted in April 2013 and the second in October 2014.

Siwertell ship unloaders and loaders are based on unique screw conveyor technology, in combination with belt conveyors and aeroslides, and can handle virtually any dry bulk cargo, such as alumina, biomass, cement, coal, fertilizers, grain and sulphur. Siwertell's product portfolio includes ship unloaders, mobile ship unloaders, ship loaders, conveying systems and complete bulk terminal solutions, all of which are designed to ensure environmentally-friendly and efficient cargo operations. www.siwertell.com